This is a substantially LARGER 2 seater garden bench than all of the others (available from Amazon etc..) in its price range. (90cm tall vs typical 73cm - seat is 66cm vs typical 53cm) It's made of Softea Shorea Wood which is a highly oily wood which is impervious to water often used in boat building. This does not have to be painted.

I have just built the bench indoors (pictured above) and It's quite a beautiful hardwood and only needs some teak oil rubbed on it once a year with a cloth to maintain its water repellent oil content. [B&M Teak oil is £2.99 for 500ml (many years supply) in the DIY section].

I did have some issues with building the bench - it uses about 8 allen key bolts and nuts to bolt it together. You initally think 10 mins to put together. But it was difficult to align the 'nut' get the bolt into the thread - I found it took 10mins to get one bolt in.

I found to overcome this you REALLY NEED a torch. With a torch it takes only a few mins to put together. You use the torch to check the nut is in place - align the nut in the hole prodding it with the supplied allen key and its only a few seconds work from there as the thread then grips the bolt properly and takes over. But without a torch you will be trying multiple times - 10 mins or more taking pot luck until the thread bites on a single bolt!.

The instructions are poor and do not mention overcoming the nut alignment issues.

The Bench is very high quality - IMO it's been heavily discounted as many customers would have been HIGHLY frustrated assembling it, thinking it doesn't actually bolt together at all and concluded it's defective. It would have a very high return rate.

looks like the one we got 3 years ago, still looks as new and been outside 2 of those 3 winters

treat it properly and it'll last years, very well made bench

26th Jul 2017

Northerndave

What is Softea wood? New one on me....

It's like Hardea wood but softea.

26th Jul 2017

We were in B&M last night looking for something like this but it wasn't priced up at £34.99 and didn't see anything else we liked. Saw you post this morning and just went there on my lunch, still on display at £49.99 but got them to check the price and it came up at £34.99 So I bought one. Really pleased I got it for that price, let's hope I don't find it too difficult to put together. I got it in the Connswater branch and there were still a few left on the shelf for any body else in the area looking one. Thanks OP

26th Jul 2017

I got one of these a few years ago. I left it out, and even gloss painted it, but it rotted within 2 years... COLD from me. 😞

Original Poster

27th Jul 2017

gidsterc

I got one of these a few years ago. I left it out, and even gloss painted … I got one of these a few years ago. I left it out, and even gloss painted it, but it rotted within 2 years... COLD from me.

Gloss painted yet rotted in 2 years? How on earth would that even be able to happen? It says just wipe it down with teak oil once a year. Its definitely made of Shorea Wood - shorea.org/sho…tml so should last 30 years outdoors.